Only an Opening
by desertskiez
Summary: First story in a trilogy. They found themselves at a school that was supposed to help them realize their potential. What they will find will alter their lives forever. KaiOC, TalaOC, and many others.
1. Prologue : Quand on peux dire non ?

Hi! Um, I'm so totally sorry I haven't been updating recently! But I hope I will be getting around to it soon. I took down all my stories, and I will be posting and reposting new ones. At least that is the plan. Um, I go to college as a history major. That's my best excuse.

This story is the first of three, in a trilogy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade, its storyline, or its characters. Only my orignal stories and characters belong to me.

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Sacred (A Trilogy)

I: Only an Opening

Prologue : Quand peux-on dire non ?

Three girls stood on a lonely hill at dusk staring at the white palace it overlooked. It was grand, statuesque, almost foreboding, if its windows didn't have a warm glint to them. It was large, covering several square acres, as though it owned the entire earth. There wasn't a sign of disrepair in sight. It wasn't gaudy, but it was simplistically elegant, which might have been worse, depending on how you look at it. The palace spoke of luxury, riches, and all one could achieve if one reached high enough for it. Yes, a true castle for any princess.

Only it wasn't a palace.

It was a school: a private university, and an exclusive, as well as reclusive one. Only the best and the brightest were allowed into the school. While small in population, it made up for it in collegiate rigor, and much more. The Academy, it was called, and that's all it truly needed. Anyone who had heard of such a place knew that The Academy only reserved itself for the best kind of students.

And these three girls were the best in what they did. They, after all, were the true few who knew what they were doing at the school.

"It's tomorrow, isn't it?" one of the girls asked her friends. She had a quiet voice and a steady gaze that was held upon the large building. She rose to her feet, trying to get a better view of the sunset.

"You mean the first day of school?" The second girl threw the quiet one a goofy grin. "The first day of fun, work, and boys. Oh, yes, that's what I live for!" She crossed her legs gracefully and smiled at the school, her own memories written across her face. She gave one last laugh before looking at the last girl. "Any premonitions this year?"

The last girl had been lying down on the grassy hill. Grass stalks ticked her face, but she didn't move, smile, or seem to register any sort of emotion. She slowly opened her eyes after a brief pause after her friend's question.

"I never have any premonitions," she stated flatly.

"Liar," the second girl said. "You always have an inkling of what's going on and you never tell us. Totally not fair."

"That's all they are. Inklings of feeling."

"Right. That's why you're ever surprised at anything." The most outgoing of the three pouted.

"Perhaps I'm really bad at being surprised."

"No! You're just really bad at faking it!"

The girl on the ground smiled.

The one she was arguing with scowled at her. "Don't smile at me. You're scaring me."

The quiet one spoke up. "It's supposed to be an important day tomorrow. It's supposed to be an important year."

"My sources have already told me that," the girl on the ground said. "It should, at the very least, be interesting."

"Annoyance," the loud one said. "You don't want to tell us your intuition. Surrounding yourself with all these sources when you know how to get the information yourself! Lazy, that's what you are. You get so smug when you're right. Makes me sick." She stuck her tongue out and grinned to show that she was kidding.

"That's why I'm here. And I've already told you one of my intuitive guesses, haven't I?"

The other two nodded. Silence prevailed for a few minutes. No one wanted to speak.

The loud one couldn't keep from asking, "We're going to have to prepare them sooner or later."

The quiet one shushed her saying, "We're not even sure if they're the ones!"

The last one threw her hands on the side of her and looked up at the orange-blue rays that were dimming the countryside.

"I'm sure." That's all she said.

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Thanks! So I will have the next chapter posted by this weekend, I hope. Or I'll post something else to compensate, alright? 


	2. La femme qui a été une reine

Whee slowly updating. Have fun reading.

Don't own Beyblade, but I do own this particular storyline.

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Chapter one- La femme qui a été une reine

Ian flopped down on the ground, taking care that he wasn't going to stain his khakis with mud, and seeing that he was under the shade of the oak tree. "Mmmph." He grumbled at Bryan who was napping on the ground.

"I don't want to hear your nonsense," Bryan said without opening his eyes.

"What nonsense? I was just going to ask what we are doing here!" Ian growled.

"Because we got accepted and we're paying to be here? I don't want to hear you complain. Let me sleep. You and your yapping mouth are the two reasons I didn't get that much sleep last night. Learn to shut up this year, alright?"

Ian threw a pleading glance at Tala who was also laying on his back, his legs crossed. "Have you got any answers?"

Tala pretended to think for a moment. "I'm guessing… same as Bryan."

Kai, the only one standing and leaning against the tree smirked. "Don't even bother asking."

Ian scowled at them all. "I hate you. Stupid Johnny. Why'd he talk us into this? How'd we get ourselves into to this? Reminds me of BioVolt," he mumbled. "It's far away from town, in a huge facility, and they train only the best. What a recurring nightmare."

Kai glanced at Ian before looking at the white building again. "Yes, it is a little creepy. But it's not BioVolt. We're past that stage, remember?"

"And," Tala added, "We had a choice coming here. We were just kind of abandoned there. At least here, we can 'fully express any endeavor of our liking'" he said, quoting the school's catalog.

"Bull. I feel like I'm paying them to bribe me to do well. I can work with self motivation, thanks."

"What's the price for shutting you up? A threat? I'd be glad to pay that price." Bryan opened one eye in irritation.

Ian didn't even blink at Bryan's hint. "Shove it, buddy, I'm trying to whine here. A little busy!"

"I'm trying to sleep before my first class. Screw you."

There was a pause. Tala spoke up. "And besides Ian, you know why Johnny brought us here!"

Bryan groaned and put his arms over his eyes. "Doesn't anyone listen to me when I ask for a little quiet around here, damnit?"

Tala grinned. "Well, I thought since we're on the subject, we might as well go over it again." He ducked a rock Bryan flung at his head. "Careful! You don't want to lose your temper on the first day of school!"

"Careful, you might not want to mock me on the first day of school. You might find all your things flying out the window when you get back to the dorms." Bryan smirked.

"Fuck you," Tala said calmly. "Anyway, you know Johnny asked us to apply here because of his aunt."

Ian's smile became evil. "You mean Ivy?"

"I mean Ivy. Wonder if he'll let us call her Aunt Ivy."

"Blurrr." Ian shuddered. "Don't make her sound like some sweet fifty-year old."

"Why? Because she's not sweet?" Tala grinned innocently.

"Because she's not fifty!"

Tala was about to retort back when a voice hissed above them, "Don't talk so loud about her, idiots, do you want her to kill you?"

"Shit!" Ian's eyes shot up to the branches of the tree. "Johnny? What the hell are you doing there?" All four boys looked up to where the voice had come from.

Johnny McGregor sat on a thick branch above, shielded by the dense leaves making it hard to tell whether he was happy to see them or really panicky.

Tala was betting it was the latter though.

"Don't look up, retards. Do you want her to find me?" Johnny's voice was strained.

"Sure. That sounds fun." Kai smirked but looked away.

Bryan, who was lying down, continued to look up at the red-head, because he knew he could. No one would ever think he was looking at tree-boy in this position.

"Okay. Shoot. What are you doing up there, Johnny?"

"Didn't you hear me? I'm hiding from Ivy!" He shifted his foot to get into a more comfortable position. "She might be mad at me, I'm not sure. She said something about meeting her before her first class. And she used 'the voice.'"

Ian started laughing before changing it to an ill concealed cough. "What'd you do this time, genius?" he hissed, wiping away tears of mirth.

"I don't know! I never know with Ivy!"

Kai idly pretended to tie his shoe. "When are you planning to get out of that tree? You can't stay up there forever, you know."

"I know, I know! Just long enough to make sure Ivy's not around, you know?"

"Too late, dear Johnny," a feminine voice spoke from beneath him.

"SHIT!" Johnny, scared out of his wits, lost his balance and fell out of the tree. Had he been any unluckier, he would have fallen on his head and broken his neck. Fortunately, Tala had been sitting directly below him and broke his fall.

Johnny didn't know what was worse: death, or an angry female and a disgruntled and pained friend who looked like he'd kill him himself. Death actually looked like a pretty attractive option right about now.

"You've got ten seconds to get off of me, or I'll kill you with or without my broken ribs, you klutz." Tala glowered at Johnny before turning his gaze on Ian who was nearly hyperventilating with laughter. "And you, shut it fast, or you're next on the hit list."

The shorter boy stopped immediately, but continued smirking. "Not my fault."

"Nor mine." The girl who had spoken earlier stepped out and watched the two boys disentangle themselves from each other. To any one else, the scene before her would have been hilarious.

But her dark eyes were clear and serious, without the slightest hint of laughter. Kai studied her as she walked towards Johnny, comparing the two relatives side by side. The only similarity was their dark red hair—hers a shade darker, making it seem brown, but in the sunlight you could tell difference, he noted. Johnny had shoved his bangs out of his eyes by wearing a bandanna, but Ivy wore her hair loose, unrestrained by any headbands. It was cut oddly. On her left side, her hair barley reached the bottom of her chin, but on her right it reached past her waist, shielding her like a cloak over her body.

And she was amazingly tall. Kai guessed that she was close, if not six feet tall, and lean like an Amazon woman. Small wonder Johnny cowed under her gaze, even if he was himself a sturdy 6'5". Imposing, serious, and she did have a rather arrogant face to match her long legs.

"Hello, Johnny." Her nephew snapped to attention like a soldier immediately. She held out her hand. "I'll need my notebook you stole from me this morning."

"Blurr… Ahhh…. What? IVY! Is that freaking all?" He looked outraged. "A STUPID NOTEBOOK?"

She glanced at him with a look of mild annoyance. "I like that notebook," she said, "and I'd like to have it back, now."

He frowned. "You sure I have it?"

"Would I ask for it otherwise?" Her glare got harder as he still stood there, apparently thinking hard. "It's next to your physics book, now MOVE."

He whipped out her notebook so fast he nailed Tala in the side with his elbow. "Goddamnit, Johnny, you little…"

"Sorry man, I'll explain later," Johnny whispered apologetically.

"And pay for my doctor's bill?" Tala didn't mean to be sarcastic, but fucker, that hurt more than he let on.

"Merci," Ivy opened up her shoulder bag to tuck the book away.

"Don't mention it. Ever." Johnny muttered the last word.

Even Ian backed up a couple of inches with the fury in Ivy's glare. "Qu'est-ce que ce?" she shot out coldly.

Johnny gave her a nervous innocent grin. "Nothing, ma tante?"

"Je ne veux pas entendre toi le dit." She scowled at him.

Ian frowned. "Why with all the French guys?"

Johnny shot him a withering glare, but Ivy merely said, "I'm from a French-speaking family. Johnny knows the basics."

"So you're a French princess? You know, since Johnny is Scottish nobility." Ian grinned devilishly at Johnny, knowing that he'd probably get beat upon later. But Johnny's face made it worth it—he was practically squirming under Ivy's presence!

Ivy's face was unreadable as it had been when they first met, but before she could answer him, she was cut off by a friendly voice.

"Nah, not a French princess. A queen of sorts, ne, Ives?"

Ivy greeted the newcomer with a faint rising of the eyebrows. "Someone has to run the school, don't they?"

The boys turned around to look at a tiny Asian girl with long black hair and sparkling green eyes. Though not as thin as Ivy, she definitely could be lifted up by any of them with ease. She laughed brightly and ran over to give Ivy a hug.

"It's a new school year, and already you're impossible to find! I spent all morning looking for you!" She grinned, and looked at Johnny teasingly before continuing, "I suspect that you're to blame here, Mr. McGregor."

Johnny held up his hands in a plea of innocence. "Ivy didn't tell me she wanted her notebook! How was I supposed to know?"

"So you hid from her?" Ian interrupted, only to be rewarded with a kick from Johnny.

The girl perked up, noticing for the first time the other boys. Ivy reached over and poked Johnny's side.

"Ow. Goddamnit, what was that for?"

"Where are your gentlemanly manners? And restrain from using coarse language, it's unbecoming."

He glared at her as though debating whether to argue with her, but he seemed to think better of it. Sulkily he said, "Guys, this is Lynn Fukumoto, a longtime friend of Ivy's. We've been going to school with each other for a while. Lynns, this bunch of guys happen to be friends of mine. And they will kindly introduce themselves."

"Pfft. Way to go nobility." Ian scoffed. "Ian here."

"Kai."

"Bryan."

"Tala."

Lynn looked at them in amusement. "Nice roll call. I take it you guys don't talk very much?"

"Nope. Ian does it all for us." Tala smiled lazily at her.

"Nice." She smiled back. "Did I mention that you guys are cute?"

Tala's face flushed a little before he began to concern himself with an invisible bit of dirt that had gotten on his shoe. Ian, oblivious to this, snorted. "Cute? Hardly."

"Yeah, especially with his big mouth," Bryan muttered darkly.

Lynn giggled. "I think it's cute." She reached over and pinched Ian's cheeks lightly. Tala glowered a bit. Kai noticed this, but only smirked. He suspected the redhead found Lynn cute as well. Ah, well, he always did tell Tala he was a hopeless romantic.

_Shut it, you._ Tala glared at Kai with displeasure when he saw him smirk. His glare would have been longer had Lynn not plunked herself next to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

He quickly recovered and smiled. "Nothing m'dear. Just some people being total jerk-offs." His eyes narrowed on Kai again before setting their full attention on her. "But nothing serious."

She nodded, yawned, then turned to Ivy. "I can't believe you chose to have class so early in the morning. Nessa's not even up yet, and Connie isn't answering her phone. And I can't believe I have class with you," she grumbled.

"Tired?" Tala questioned.

"Murr. Yes."

"Lean on my shoulder, and sleep."

She looked startled. "But I just met you!"

Johnny prodded her with his foot. "That's never stopped you before."

Lynn giggled. "That's right, you're my resident pillow!"

"I resign from that post effective immediately!" he huffed.

"I'll take it up," Tala said, "on the condition that you take your nap now, young lady, and no complaints!"

"Huzzah! Position granted!" She leaned against Tala's shoulder, no problem, and closed her eyes.

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Adorable, isn't she?" She looked around. "So Nessie's not up, and Connie's gone MIA," she muttered. "I wonder…"

"Johnny," she snapped, "where's Spencer?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"What did I just say about those filthy manners of yours?"

"What's up with the attitude all the time?" he shot back.

"That's how I am. You, on the other hand, are coarse and vulgar, and like I said, it's unbecoming. Now where is he?"

He threw his hands up in frustration. "Not here, ma tante, and I have no idea."

"He said he had to pick up a friend this morning. As to where that friend is, I don't know," Bryan said quietly from the ground, "but he said he'd meet us here after he went to pick his friend up. He should be here soon."

Kai's eyes were narrowed on Ivy. "Ivy, what's with the sudden interest in Spencer?"

She studied him for a minute. "Just concern for my fellow classmates."

"Ivy Leclair. There's no need for concern you know." A small, blond girl was walking toward the group with a much taller boy behind her. Spencer gave a brief nod to the group.

Ivy gave the girl a thin smile. "But it is the first day of school. I wouldn't want harm to come to any of us, Connie."

Constance Ching turned to Spencer. "She means she wouldn't want to harm you if I suddenly got hurt or something. Sound familiar?"

Spencer grunted. "Are you trying to say we're alike?"

"I'm trying to say that you're much too overprotective for your own good. You're not my mother."

"No, but if she were here, she'd approve of my actions."

"Her approval doesn't matter here. Only mine."

Constance had short, straight blond hair, soft blue eyes, and a smile that never wavered. And it never left her face, which made her beautiful, but…

Kai noticed that the smile never reached her eyes, which while gentle, were also blank and empty, as if no sense of self existed.

And even more disconcerting was the fact that Spencer hovered over her like an overprotective brother. And Ivy kept studying her, a mark of concern, even for the cool-headed Ivy who hardly cared about her own nephew falling out of a tree.

Connie turned to Johnny. "Hello, McGregor. These are your friends, I assume?"

"Yeah. You know Spencer?"

The normally laid-back Spencer nodded stiffly. "Childhood friends. I worried about her so I went to pick her up. One can never be too careful around here."

"You sure you two aren't dating?" Ian asked dryly.

"Oh no," Connie said, "Spencer likes acting out the mother role. You'd think I was abandoned at birth judging by the way he acts."

"Ah. I'm Ian by the way." He held out his hand.

She exchanged a glance with Ivy before she shook it. "Pleased. Constance. But call me Connie. The only person who calls me Constance is my mother."

"The guy whom Lynn is taking the liberty of sleeping upon is Tala, next to him, Bryan, and finally Kai," Ivy finished up.

Constance shook her head, smiling, at Lynn. "You know, Ivy, she just wasn't made to be a morning person."

"At least she isn't Vanessa." Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Vannessa was practically snarling at the mere suggestion of waking up before nine the morning. At least I'm up and _here. _And I'm not taking liberties with anyone!"

"Lynn, do awaken fully before you join a conversation. I didn't say you were taking liberties with him."

"Ah, well. You woke me up," the brunette grumbled.

"I start class in ten minutes," Connie interrupted plaintively. "Now that I've shown myself to your highness, may I please leave now?"

Lynn's head shot up to glare at her, "You were barely here for two minutes!"

"Yes, but I really need to get to class now."

"Hmph. I don't know why you bother. You score straight As without trying anyway."

Connie sighed. "I will just take that a yes and leave now. And you," she said, turning to Spencer, "I know you don't have a class now, so don't follow me."

His eyes narrowed. "Can't stop me. I want to see you off."

"You're going to stay with your friends and not worry about me. Because," she cut him off because he was ready to argue, "I say so. It grieves me, and irritates me to have you hovering around me like a gnat. Or a possessive boyfriend and I honestly don't know which is worse."

"I'll go," said the muffled voice of Lynn. "I have class too. If Connie gets molested by aliens, though, I'm not to blame."

"Yeah, because she's not even awake enough to fend off dust particles at this point," Johnny poked her side with his foot. Tala grabbed his ankle and threw him off balance, causing him to fall on his side.

"Ow, you fucking psycho, what was that for!"

"You bug me. And I'm getting back at you for falling on me and elbowing me within the same ten minutes." Tala smirked.

Lynn tried to look sympathetic toward Johnny's plight and failed. "Ah well. We'll just blame it on Karma, ne, Johnny?"

"Shut up."

"I have class too, anyway." Kai said softly.

Connie quirked an eyebrow. "And so?"

"I'd like to walk you to class."

"Oooooh, I think he likes you. Brave, aren't you, with Spencer right behind you?" Lynn teased.

"Yeah, well, I'm bored, I need to get to class and you girls can show me around the campus," he replied.

"Or get him lost," Lynn told Connie in a loud whisper.

"Sounds good," Connie smiled.

"All of a sudden, I don't like where this is heading," Kai muttered.

"I do!" Lynn jumped up, green eyes sparkling. She scooped up her books. "Come on, Kai, Connie. We have places to go!"

"The only place I want to go is to class," Constance protested, "And don't even think about making me late."

"Ah, well, we'll see."

When Kai stood up, she dragged them both by the arms toward the building.

"Exuberant, isn't she?" Tala grinned at Johnny.

"You have no idea."

Ivy glanced at her sulking nephew. _No Johnny,_ she thought,_ you're the one who has no idea._


	3. J’ai entendu que elles aiment l’isolemen

Finally an update! I'm actually more into this story than any of the others, but for some reason, I've been lazy. Oh well, enjoy.

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Chapter three- J'ai entendu que elles aiment l'isolement.

Vanessa Sato was not the happiest person that Monday morning. Oh yes, she had received Lynn's early morning phone calls demanding to know where she was, despite her previous warnings about waking her up. She didn't answer the phone.

And Ivy had left an irritated message on her phone asking for an explanation for her tardiness, especially when she had explicitly asked them to be on time to meet the new transfer students. She lectured Vanessa's voice message box, reminding her it was her duty as an officer of the most exclusive sorority to greet these new people.

And Vanessa promptly deleted the message upon hearing it.

She knew Ivy would be highly displeased about it—she knew all too well that Ivy had wanted to make a strong impression with her nephew's friends—but Vanessa had never taken anyone's advice into account for anything.

And it wasn't her original idea to join the stupid sorority in the first place, even if Ivy was one of its founders. And even if Ivy was one of her best friends. And even if Ivy was right about the whole damned affair in the first place.

On top of all that, she was in a foul mood, and it pleased her just a little bit to be spiteful.

A few hours later, she got up, and dressed and hurried to her chemistry lab, the first class of the day. She liked the feeling of going to her first class of the year. It was a feeling that couldn't really be recaptured at any other time. And best of all it was a science lab, one of her best classes.

So she did not anticipate having any problems so 'early' in the day. That is, until her professor called her over.

"Good morning, Miss Sato. Have a good summer?" The professor smiled at her fondly. She was his best student, and he was her favorite professor. Even if she didn't say so.

Vanessa Sato was the kind of person who didn't say very much to anyone, whether compliments or insults. She just didn't want to be bothered by anything because if there was anything she hated, it was incompetence. She saw too much of it in other people to really be impressed with anyone.

Not to say they were not impressed with her. With caramel-colored hair, and snapping hazel eyes, she made quite a mark. The only thing that took away from her beauty was her stony silence toward most people she didn't consider worth talking to.

"I'm fine." Vanessa pulled on a lab coat, wondering what he could want. He wasn't a man to spend time of frivolous talk.

"I wanted to talk to you about matters concerning your new lab partner…"

Her head snapped up. "Really, Professor, I thought we'd agree that I wouldn't have any lab partners from now till… well forever." _What I really want is** to be far away from people**._

He sighed. "Miss Sato, I know you mean well, but you really must learn to at least get along with your fellow scientists. Despite what we had agreed to last semester, I believe that you really do have potential with working with others. And," he raised a hand to stop her from interrupting, "you've been through five lab partners already. Now I've assigned a lab partner to you, and I hope good results come about."

"But Professor, you approved of my discharge of all five lab partners. I believe you have seen the work I've done alone, and we both agree the quality of that is much higher than had I been collaborating with another student."

"Well, it is a new semester, and I now believe it is high time to try again."

She was grimacing. _It's not my fault that my other lab partners were retarded. Okay, not **completely** my fault._

"He's a new student here, a transfer. And an engineering major, so please try to be civil. And I don't want to hear your demands for a new lab partner until at least the next lab class—you have to give him a chance you know." He looked at her sternly. "Understood?"

She lowered her hazel eyes (that happened to be snapping with fury). "Yes, I do."

"Good. I expect the best from you, Miss Sato. Start the lab."

She turned sharply on her heel and strode over to her lab table. Her hands shook her anger, her slightly curly hair bounced in irritation, and her eyes glared at the boy who she would have to be working with.

"Hello Vanessa."

She blinked. Oh, no way. That wasn't possible. She had calculated every single possibility, and nothing had told her that Bryan Kyznetsov was going to be here.

Bryan watched her face change from fury, to confusion, to blankness. He knew she was trying to forget her confusion. Vanessa never reacted well to unknowns.

"Mr. Kyznetsov." She nodded jerkily in greeting. "I am honored to see you are well, and that you still remember my name. Especially since it has been a long time since I last saw you."

"You forgot to mention that we hardly spoke to each other in the first place. We were placed in different departments." Bryan studied her.

"Forgive me," she said stiffly, "for lack of interest, but I would rather we not speak of BioVolt at the moment. It is a history I would rather forget. I have a lab to finish with you, and I'd like to be done by today." She turned around and began picking up various solutions, before pausing and turning back to the light-haired male. "I remember you being a skilled blader though," she said softly before turning back to her work.

She quickly moved from her Bunsen burner to her scales, her fluid motions were absentminded, her eyes only on what she was doing.

She and Bryan had grown up in BioVolt, abandoned, and no recollection of any family. When she was little she sometimes wondered what would have happened if she wasn't left in that hellhole, but now she didn't really care. Bryan was right, they hardly knew each other: he was training to be a blader, and she was a child genius working in BioVolt's laboratories. She loved it there, save for the beatings and psychological damage she received when things were not going BioVolt's way. She guessed that the Demolition Boys were punished for failing to win, but she also guessed they had no idea that BioVolt punished the science team as well.

Not that she was going to enlighten him or anything.

She had heard of Bryan, Tala, and the rest while in the labs. She secretly admired them and envied their favored position on Boris' hierarchy, just a little. They had always been championed as the saviors of BioVolt. Everyone expected great things from those four boys. They were destined to be the best in the world.

What did Vanessa do? She only helped build their beyblades to become the best in the world. The science team at BioVolt was unmatched anywhere else. But they couldn't take in the glory. They were to be the shadow crew. They were to be unknown, even to the bladers.

She had never spoken to any of them once while living there, except for one time.

_They had just been released from the organization, free, and forced out into the world. Vannessa really had no idea what to do with herself. They had to leave the building in two hours, but she was already packed, and all she wanted to do was go back to the labs. _

_She walked down to the computers. Everything looked so old and obsolete. She reached out to touch one of the screens lovingly. This room was her room—she owned it with a possessiveness that she'd never felt before. She had to leave it all behind and start anew. She'd make it out there like she did in here, but it still hurt to leave._

"_You look like you're ready to cry." A voice said behind her._

_Her eyes widened. "Bry—M-Mr. Kyznetsov," she stammered out, "I had no idea you were here." _

_Boris always warned the science teams to show the bladers utmost respect._

_He was sitting on one of the chairs. "Yeah, I realize that. What's up with the formality? Boris isn't here anymore." He raised an eyebrow._

_How did he know it was standard protocol to never address them by the first name?_

"_Oh! Well…"_

"_Don't you need to pack too?" He interrupted._

"_Yeah... I mean, no! I'm done with that." She turned away from him._

"_You can't take those computers, you know."_

"_Doesn't stop me from wising I could," she mumbled._

"_Makes me feel lucky I have Falborg then," he said. "At least a bitbeast is portable."_

_She didn't catch any derision in his voice so she said quietly, "I'm not leaving everything behind though, Mr. Kyznetsov. Some things can be taken away from here, you know."_

_He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stood up to walk towards her. "Hmph. I'm taking back whatever Boris ripped away from me. If he hasn't destroyed it already. Well, it's my life."_

_She suddenly smiled the hardest smile he'd ever seen, and her eyes glittered with dangerous energy. She was angry._

_He studied her. "Do you have any place to go after you leave?"_

"_Not really," she replied indifferently, "I'm pretty much on my own from here on out."_

"_Where are you planning to go?"_

"_Why are you so curious?" she asked with a small smile._

"_That's the first question they'll ask you once you before you leave."_

_Her expression became thoughtful. "I don't know. I haven't gotten around to thinking that far ahead."_

"_Why don't you come with us?"_

_She turned to look at him in astonishment. "Us, Mr. Kyznetzov?"_

"_Tala, Ian, Spencer, and I. We're going to continue being family. Maybe you'd consider coming with us? You're a BioVolt kid too. You'd be welcome, if you don't annoy us, anyway."_

"_But I hardly know you!"_

"_Does it matter?_

_She paused, not quite believing what he was saying. Then she looked down. "No, I guess not."_

"_Then come." It was an order._

_She turned back to her computer, a smile creeping up her face. She never took to receiving orders too well. "I'll think about it."_

"_All right. See you later. Vanessa."_

_She gasped and turned around again to look at him again, only to find he was gone._

"_How did you know my name?" she whispered to the empty air._

All she knew he wasn't supposed to know her name, and he wasn't supposed to know she existed. Often she thought that she dreamed the whole memory up. But she knew that it wasn't an illusion.

And then she remembered that he had called her by her first name earlier in the day.

She felt that she could at least hate him. Him and his all knowing look. Or his uncaring, indifferent voice.

Or hate the knowledge that she didn't want to hate him.

Her mind returned to reality, then realized that while her motions and movements were going through with the experiment, something was different. By now, she would have had to scramble for the other necessary compounds and chemicals to complete them.

But instead, packaged right in front of her, in different vials and beakers, was everything that she needed. Furthermore, she didn't have to reach to get to them. Bryan Kyznetsov was passing them to her as she needed them, being careful to stay out of her way, but making sure she received them.

Vanessa loved to be in her own little world during lab. She finished tasks with effortless ease, and she loved doing things to her own natural rhythm. It was odd, but the way she functioned was based by a beat, and she thought nobody realized that but her.

Apparently she was wrong. Bryan Kyznetsov figured her out, and on top of that, he was moving with her, moving to the same tempo.

It was a nice feeling. Pleasant, comfortable, and serene. Those were emotions that she hadn't felt in ages.

So she had to kill it.

She stopped abruptly, letting her hand fall to the table before looking at him with a steely glare.

He looked back at her with amusement in her eyes, but still no smile graced his lips. "You stopped working," he said mildly, throwing a glance at her unfinished solution."

She ignored the statement. "Has the professor explained to you that I've been through five lab partners already?"

"I believe he mentioned it."

"And that I'm extremely difficult to work with?"

"Certainly."

"Has he also mentioned that my level of expectation is higher than his?"

"Mmmm. If I remember correctly, then yes."

She threw him a look of contempt. "Don't mock me."

He raised an eyebrow. So she had caught on to the humor in his voice, and she obviously was not laughing. "I was under the impression that we were getting along quite well. I wouldn't worry if I were you. You're doing fine."

"I wasn't worried about myself."

"I've taken down notes on everything you've done so far, if that bothers you."

She looked down at his notebook. So he did. Damnable. He was anticipating every complaint.

"I was not under the impression you could read minds, Mr. Kyznetsov."

"And I thought, Miss Sato, that I told you that you didn't have to stick with formalities."

Her eyes grew wide. "That was years ago." She muttered stiffly.

"Still, you don't have to." He took the next beaker and mixed its contents in the solution. He then turned on the hot plate.

Vanessa stood there numbly. She was supposed to be observant one.

She was supposed to be able to read minds.

Why, then, did he know?

"How do you know my name… Bryan?"

He tore his eyes away from the experiment long enough to meet her gaze.

"I don't want to answer."

There was a long pause. There experiment was coming to a close. Vanessa turned off the hot plate and placed their flask on a cooling rack.

Finally she said, "I think I'll accept you as a lab partner this semester."

* * *

"Geez, how predictable. We all happen to take the same lunch period. Are we psychic or what?" Ian grinned as he took a seat next to Johnny. "Recovered from your injuries yet, tree-boy?"

Johnny's face turned as red as his hair. "Yes, and shut up."

"Your insults aren't getting any better as the day progresses," Ian taunted. "Maybe that's why Ivy picks on you so much."

"For your information, Ivy doesn't pick on him. She scares the living hell out of him," Tala nodded, grinning.

"You guys are a bunch of fuckers," mumbled Johnny, "Go to hell. I'm not afraid of Ivy; she's just got EVIL written all over her. Can't fight that, can I?"

"Grow a spine." Bryan said.

"ARGH! I hate you guys! Why the hell do I always get picked on!"

"Spencer is, once again, late." Kai commented lightly, ignoring the sputtering boy.

"Not really," Johnny said, immediately forgetting his anger. He turned around in his seat to look around. "Ah. There he is. See at the end of the cafeteria? He's with Connie."

Spencer was indeed with the blond girl, who was talking to him with the sweetest smile on her face. Spencer however, was less than benign, and looked like his head was ready to explode with anger. That surprised all his friends, since Spencer was usually the most level-headed of the group, as well as the most laid back.

"Go figure he'd go ballistic over a woman," Bryan smirked.

Johnny shrugged. "I think that it's Connie's reputation for being pretty and resistant to boys."

Kai watched as three other girls joined Connie: Lynn, Ivy, and Vanessa. His eyes narrowed on Vanessa. "She's a BioVolt scientist."

Bryan glanced at him briefly. "So you do remember."

Kai shrugged. Johnny sighed and propped his elbows on the table. "I suppose I should tell you about those girls, since one of them is my aunt, and we're going be seeing a lot of them."

"Blah. That's the real reason why you asked us to transfer, didn't you?" Ian scowled. "You couldn't stand up to them."

"Ugh, no! Well… maybe. Anyway, yes, Ives is my aunt, so we'll start with her. She's leader of their little group. They're the officers of _Generosity_, the most exclusive sorority on campus. Ivy practically handpicks their members. It was founded by her, and I'll be damned if she ever changes the way she runs things." Johnny scowled a little. "She's a nice girl though… just don't get in her way, and don't hurt any of the three around her. She's especially fierce about their friendship. Oh. One other thing. Don't ever insult Brooklyn Kingston in front of her."

"Kingston? She knows him?" Tala frowned.

"Oh yes," Johnny looked grim. "He attends this school."

"Great, that'll make him and Kai best buddies," Ian said sarcastically.

"Why is she interested in Kingston?" Bryan asked.

"Hell if I know. I've been trying to figure that one out."

Tala sipped his soda. "Are they seeing each other?"

"NO. I will send him to hell if they start." Johnny looked incensed once again.

"Uhhh, next girl, before Johnny's head explodes." Ian interrupted.

"How about Connie. I should talk about her before Spencer spots us, and then there'll be a scene." Johnny's eyes darted to their friend who still looked like he was arguing with Constance.

"She's Ivy's best friend, quiet, and a motherfucking genius. The end. I kid you not. She's a straight A student all around, a history major, but other than that, nothing really interesting to say."

"I have a question. Why doesn't she ever get mad? Or do anything but smile?" Ian glanced once again at Spencer.

"I dunno. I asked Ivy once, but she told me to shut up and get back to my homework." Johnny's face reverted to its trademark scowl.

"You know, Johnathan, you'd look a lot more attractive if you weren't making so many faces. It takes away from your good charm." A dry voice spoke behind the red head in such a flat tone, he had to jump.

He turned to glare at the girl. "Geezus, Ness, what the hell! You were just sitting over there," he indicated with his finger "about five seconds ago. Don't sneak up on people like that, it's creepy! Didn't Ivy warn you against that?"

"No. I was bored, and I didn't get to meet everyone this morning. Ivy demanded I see you guys." Vanessa looked over the group. "Hello." Bryan's eyes met hers, but only briefly. The rest of the boys looked at her, studying her, and it unnerved her. They knew like they knew her too.

_Calculation, not computing. Data missing._

Johnny sat up as he thought of something, "Hey, Ness, what did you mean by my good charm? Are you finding me hard to resist?" The Scotsman grinned devilishly.

"I was being sarcastic," she said simply, earning her a scowl and several smothered snickers. "But, oh well. Just wanted to say hello. Did Bryan tell you that he and I are chemistry lab partners?" She glanced at the pale boy who nodded, without looking at her.

"Auch, how unlucky for Bryan." Johnny smirked. "Having to deal with your petty issues."

"Coming from you, that's not much," she retorted. "You wouldn't know a petty issue from a real issue if it hit you in the face, McGregor."

Ian laughed, "Isn't that the truth." He looked at the girl once more, and said, "You're from BioVolt, aren't you?"

"Why, everyone seems to know about my past," she drawled, but only Bryan noticed the tightened jaw that belied the sweet tone in her voice. "I remember you guys, of course. There wasn't anyone who didn't. I'm surprised you remember me."

"You'd be surprised at how much we know." Tala narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't tell me Boris never told you guys anything."

"I don't like talking about BioVolt," Vanessa said coldly, "In case you haven't noticed."

"We know," Bryan muttered, shooting a glare at Tala before turning back to his own food. He still didn't look at Nessie. "We _normally_ don't like talking about it either."

"We were just curious, that's all," Ian piped up. "I mean, we don't even know each other, and here we are once again. Odd, isn't it?"

The girl's eyebrow lifted. "Only if you don't believe in karma."

"I didn't think a scientist like you believed in anything," Johnny joked.

"Oh, it's amazing what can happen with a little magic," she said casually. "And a lot of luck."

"And probably a whole lot of prayers to your genius-god," Ian agreed.

Vanessa nodded curtly before turning around to go. "I need to get back to Ivy," she said, turning to Johnny. "Anything you need to tell her?"

"Yeah. Ask her if I'm the one that has to call my mom tonight, or if she's finally going to contact her sister."

"In all probability, you're going to be the one who does it. But I'll ask anyway." She gave him a small smile before leaving. "See you."

Ian gave Tala a small glare once Nessie was out of earshot. "Nice job, asshole. What gives?"

"Nothing," Tala was undisturbed. "I just have a natural distrust of everyone from BioVolt who wasn't the Demolition Boys."

"She's a nice girl." Bryan also glared at his captain. "And, just so you don't forget, Valkov, my lab partner. I don't need my grades to take a serious dive just because you can't shut your trap."

"And you think she's pretty, don't you Bryan?" Tala muttered only so Kai could hear him. The other boy sent him a smirk missed by Bryan, who seemed to be content giving the rest of the group the cold shoulder.

"Yeah, he does." Kai eyed the four girls who seemed to own the school. "Can't say I disagree."


End file.
